Page 11 of Crush & Byte (Grim Road MC #9)

I wasn’t sure I could admit it even to myself, but when I found myself sandwiched between the two distinctly masculine bodies, a surge of heat went through me I wasn’t prepared for.

I stiffened, not daring to move, barely even breathing.

The rocker swayed gently as Crush carefully settled his weight and relaxed beside me.

The heat radiating from the two men combined with the comforting scents on the cool mountain air intoxicated me.

Byte’s arm was mere inches from my shoulders while Crush’s thigh nearly touched mine.

The gentle rocking motion tried to soothe me, and maybe it worked because I found myself relaxing.

The second I did, the men on either side of me relaxed too and our bodies finally pressed together gently.

There was no possible fucking way for me to stifle the contented sigh escaping my throat. This. Was. Heaven .

“You comfortable?” Crush leaned closer to me to speak, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me.

“Very,” I said, and meant it. Despite the butterflies in my stomach, there was something weirdly right about sitting between them.

I should be a bundle of nervous energy like I had been all day, but the second we all relaxed together, something…

clicked into place. Christ, I was in so much trouble here.

The sky shifted colors with the passing seconds.

The sky blue of a few minutes ago darkened to a deep indigo; reds and oranges bled through as the sun sank toward the jagged mountain peaks.

Streaks of crimson and pink painted the clouds, reflecting in the still surface of the lake beyond us like a mirror image.

I’d seen sunsets before, but never like this.

Never with two gorgeous men from the porch of a secluded cabin in the mountains overlooking the most breathtaking scene I’d ever imagined.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I whispered, afraid to break the spell.

“I have,” Byte said quietly beside me, and when I glanced over, he wasn’t looking at the sunset at all. He was looking at me.

My breath caught in my throat. The intensity in his eyes made my stomach flip, and for a moment, I couldn’t remember how to form words.

There was something raw and honest in his gaze that I wasn’t prepared for.

Mainly because the promise of many, many wicked things I should be opposed to but realized opposition was the last thing I felt.

“You’ve got bark in your hair.” Crush reached out and plucked the scrap of debris stuck in the strands.

His fingers lingered in my hair, a gentle touch that sent tingles across my scalp.

I tried not to lean into it, but my body betrayed me.

The contact was brief but electrifying, and when he pulled away, I felt the absence like a physical thing.

“Thanks,” I managed, my voice sounding breathier than I intended. I cleared my throat and forced my attention back to the sunset, though I was acutely aware of both men beside me.

The rocker swayed gently, lulling us into a comfortable silence as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains. As darkness fell, the temperature dropped, and I couldn’t suppress a small shiver.

“Cold?” Crush asked, his voice so close to my ear I could feel his warm breath.

“A little,” I admitted. “But I don’t want to go in yet. The stars are starting to come out and it’s so beautiful. The sky doesn’t look like this in the city.”

Without hesitation, Byte shifted closer, his body heat seeping into my side.

On my other side, Crush did the same, and suddenly I was cocooned between them, warm and protected from the mountain chill.

Maybe I should have felt trapped or uncomfortable.

I probably would have under different circumstances, and the attraction I had for these guys scared me more than a little bit.

Unfortunately, I got a heady rush that threatened to swallow me.

And I was plunging headlong wherever these sensations took me.

I’d simply deal with any fallout to my heart later and savor the experience.

“Better?” I could hear the smile in Byte’s voice without looking up at him. Which made me smile.

I couldn’t suppress my happy sigh. “Yep.”

Both men chuckled in response, and we fell into a companionable silence and watched the darkening sky as it revealed stars in a breathtaking display.

As the twinkling lights multiplied across the darkening sky, I found myself sinking deeper into the warmth between Crush and Byte.

The mountain air nipped at my exposed skin, but everywhere their bodies touched mine radiated delicious heat that made me feel languid and protected all at once.

“I never imagined the sky could look like this,” I murmured, my head tilting back to take in the expanding canopy of twinkling lights.

“It’s like someone spilled glitter across black velvet.

Even when I lived in smaller towns, I never really went out to places like this.

” I tilted my head back, trying to take it all in. “I feel so… small.”

“In a good way or bad way?” Byte asked, and I could feel him watching me.

His thumb rubbed my shoulder where his arm rested on the back of the rocker.

Again I shivered, the attraction and anticipation palpable all around me.

The thing was, there was no way I could separate my attraction between the brothers.

I was equally attracted to both of them, and I wasn’t sure how welcome this was going to be for anyone.

One thing I’d learned from Maggie over the weeks and very few months I knew her was to manage expectations if I wanted to keep my sanity.

She told me she would always be demanding and exacting in what she wanted from me, but she would never set me up to fail or belittle me for anything.

In return, I told her I expected her to show as much respect for me as she demanded I give to her.

So it all came down to trust. I trusted them with my body, or I wouldn’t be here with them.

I took a breath. “Look. I’m out of my depth here.” A nervous giggle escaped me and I stood, wiping my hands on my jeans-clad thighs as I turned to face them. “What are we doing? I mean beyond a little adventure courtesy of Mrs. Wagner. Because I’m not sure how ready I am for this.”

The guys exchanged another look and, I swear I must have been learning their secret language because it looked like the conversation went something like this:

Crush: I told you she was skittish .

Byte: Don’t be that guy .

“Why don’t you tell us what you’re feeling, River.” Crush spoke gently. There was kindness in his gaze, giving me the courage I needed to continue this.

I took a breath. “To answer your question, I feel small in a good way.” I smiled, unsure if they could actually see my expression in the darkness.

The moon peeked out from a wisp of cloud, giving us a little light, but I found not being able to see them both clearly might help me get this out.

“Like all my problems are too tiny to matter in all that vast, open sky. But also like I’m too tiny to matter.

And I’m OK with that. I am who I am and I really like myself.

But I can’t…” My voice broke. As big of high as I’d been riding all day, the crash was going to be equally big.

“I know I’m overthinking this, but your grandmother told me when faced with a difficult situation it’s always best to --”

“Manage expectations.” We all spoke the mantra in unison. Then we were all silent.

“OK, then. I can see this is advice she doled out often.” I tried to laugh but it came out more than a little strained.

Byte stood and held out his hand to me. “Come inside, honey. We’ll light a fire, sit at the table, and lay it all out.”

“Nothing happens tonight, River.” Crush spoke softly and stayed seated. He was the larger of the two and could be the most intimidating. “We’re just going to talk. No matter what.”

I nodded, the relief bigger than I thought it would be. “I guess I hadn’t realized how much this had been hanging over me. Mainly because I’m not really sure what this is.”

“We’ll figure it out together, River.” Crush stood slowly and stepped away from me to open the sliding door.

Looking down at Byte’s hand, I knew my life was about to change. I also knew, for better or worse, I was committed to seeing where this led.

I reached out and slid my hand into his.

Byte grinned down at me, like he was proud.

I felt that small praise right down to my very soul.

The adrenaline and caffeine high I’d been crashing from mere seconds ago got a lift with that look.

I was terrified of what was about to happen.

I was also rushing straight to it with no regrets.

God help me.